Four weeks of summer wrapped up with a fish

Symbolizing nourishment and unity

Working at Sorrento Centre comes with many perks like interacting with our friendly guests, walking around our beautiful grounds, and of course, working with a diverse team to accomplish all the tasks that need to be done to keep Sorrento Centre running smoothly! 

Everyone working at Sorrento Centre plays an integral role. Sometimes it’s easy to forget how important we are as individuals to the team. Our Adult Program Manager Vibeke Vaerum took a special moment to recognize members of our team and all the hard work they have done behind the scenes.

During the last gratitude gathering of summer programming, Vibeke shared how a fish represents nourishment and abundance in many traditions, including Indigenous and Christian. A fish mosaic from our local Artisan gallery recently called to her and she felt it was a wonderful way to acknowledge people. She began handing out the fish mosaic parts and team members present that day received a “piece of fish.”  

Here is a little breakdown of who received what piece and why: Michael Shapcott, our Executive Director, received the head of the fish for his mind, vision, and dedication to this place. Reverend David Taylor received the first fin for bringing us the Body of Christ during the four weeks of summer worship. Mary Scheidegger and Amneet Walch from the communications team received the second fin for sharing stories and for spreading the word about Sorrento Centre. The third fin went to our Child and Youth Program Coordinator, Tammy Gibbs for learning from challenges, and the tail went to all staff members that “work their tail off here” and is also held by Vibeke Vaerum for her programming role.

Vibeke ended the symbolic gift giving with an important statement, “we can only offer abundance and nourishment to others when we, as staff, transcend our cultural, religious, and personal differences and come together.”

We could not have survived these four weeks of summer without our wonderful team pushing through some adversity and challenges. Individually we are all unique and hold our own piece, but when we come together as a team, we are able to create Sorrento magic (and a whole fish ><> )!